I was already a fan of Herder mill knives and Buckels breakfast knives. For a long time, I harbored the plan to purchase this relatively expensive, larger knife. Now the time has come. And what a knife this is! It looks beautiful. A fine plum wood handle lends the knife a natural, timeless appearance. It comes sharp straight out of the packaging. The carbon steel passes the paper test with flying colors. I like the santoku blade shape. Next, I cut vegetables. I have never cut onions so pleasantly before. However, as already mentioned here, it is important to clean and dry the blade as soon as possible after use. Waiting five minutes to do so already resulted in some discoloration. I don't mind that too much, though. I bring it out for elaborate cooking on the weekend. To quickly cut something, I grab an Eden chef's knife. A great addition!

Wouter Klootwijk is also responsible for the purchase of the Robert Herder Lignum 3 chef's knife for me. I received this knife from my wife and children on my 50th birthday. Received neatly packaged, easy to track the shipping status; well organized. Now for the knife: Sublime, feels great in the hand and does its job flawlessly. Just rinse it briefly after use and dry it thoroughly. I already had the paring knife. My knife block can leave the kitchen; I manage perfectly fine with the Herder knives! What Klootwijk showed is really true. It's great that truly artisanal knives are still available for purchase.

I got this knife as a birthday present and although it came in two months (I knew this before placing the order), it was worth the wait. Excellent German craftsmanship! The knife came well packed in a cardboard box. Also, straight from the box, is the sharpest knife I have ever gotten. You can probably get other good knives at this price, but unlikely to have a hand made tool, with a sublime carbon blade and a beautiful prune wood handle. I used the knife several times for chopping veggies and it has already gotten a very nice patina. Highly recommended!

After years of using my Zwilling knives, they pale in comparison to this knife by Robert Herder. It takes some getting used to handling such a lightweight knife, especially compared to my old knives. Cutting with this knife is a joy; it glides through the material as if by magic. Although this is a knife that needs to be "pampered," I wouldn't want to go through life with any other kitchen knife. A real asset and more than worth its price!

I reordered this knife after ruining a previous one by prying it into frozen meat. As a result, pieces of steel flew out of the blade. I was terrified; what did I know... Now, with the new order, a note has been included stating that you indeed shouldn't do that with this knife. Still, that limitation is only a very small concession in the daily use of this truly fantastically balanced and permanently sharp chef's knife. I use it for almost everything, and for the smaller tasks, I have a small, razor-sharp 'mill knife', also from Herder. All that's left is cleaving that frozen meat... but how often does that happen?

Beautiful knife, nicely finished. Good design. As far as I'm concerned, it fits in any kitchen, even a Bulthaup. Very sharp. It was delivered neatly in a box, greased, very carefully. Just cut beef and the knife glides through it like butter. Then chopped an onion, millimeter precision work, beautiful! The knife fits very well in the hand, light but not too light. I am curious about the durability, though; I have experienced with the smaller siblings, the mill knives, that even a single bone in meat can make a dent in the steel. Time will tell, I am going to enjoy it!

After acquiring a Lignum-3 'Olive' a few years ago, I wanted to buy the same knife again. While it now bears the same name, it's a significantly different knife. Previously stainless, with a thinner spine and exceptionally light, the blade is now stiffer, heavier, and perhaps of higher quality. I use the 'Olive' version constantly and particularly like it because the handle fits me better than any other knife in the house (even more elaborate and expensive ones). Only time will tell if the modified balance of the current version holds true.

This is a top-quality knife, although you do have to learn how to handle it. The fact that it is not stainless steel, in particular, requires careful handling. Personally, I grease the knife with a little oil after use and store it in paper towels. I also had to break an old habit of scraping food off the cutting board with the knife. I am very satisfied with the knife and with my new habits.